Cultivator.



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'Y GULTWATOR. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.Z4- 1901.

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CULTIVATOR. K I APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24,1907.

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@mW/fw .GEORGE w. SPRAGJNS,A oF FALLS orrY, vEBRAsiur;

Specification of Letter-'.4 Patent.

OFFICE.;

Application filed september 24, 1907. serial No, 39;,365.

T o all whomrit mag/concern.:

Be it known that I, GEORGEV. SPRAGINS,

.a' citizen ofthe United States, residing at Falls City, in the county of Richardson and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Cultivator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cultivators and its object is to provide a combined disk and shovel device of this character designed to simultaneously operate upon two rows of listed or check rowed corn. y

Heretofore it has been possible to go over the corn only about twice because after it has reached a certain height it has been necessary to dispense with the low machines and to use a high cultivator in lieu thereof.

The object of the present invention, however, is to provide a machine which moves close to the ground but which can nevertheless be employed for cultivating the corn during all stages.

.A still further object is to improve upon the construction of devices of this character such as'heretofore used by sim lifying the same and rendering itmore easily operated and manipulated. r

Another object is to rovideA improved means whereby either the disks or the shovels at the sides of each row can be separately manipulated or simultaneously raised or lowered as may be desired.

lVith these and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanyingr drawings is shown the preferred form of the invention.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine, the operating levers of the disks andA shovels being removed. Fig. 2 is a section on line ca Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of one end portion of the machine. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through a portion of the machine and showing one of the supporting wheels and its adjustable connections in plan.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, A and B designate two cultivator sections and inasmuch as the two sections are similar in construction it will be necessary to describe only one of them in detail.

1, 1 designate the sides of the frame of each end section, lsaidsides being preferably vof trapezoidal form. The sides are rigidly connected at the top by cross strips 2 and 3 to which'is secured 5 extending from the sides thereof to the ends of strip 2. Arranged upon each of the sides 1 are superposed guide roll-ers 6 and secured upon the tongue between theserollers is a guide strap 7 having a guide in 8 extend-ing downward therethrough an into the tongue.

.A yoke 9 is secured to the tongue 4 at-a lpoint between the sides 1 and extends downward therefrom terminating in laterally ex-v tending feet 10 which are secured to and extend beyond the sides 1. Arranged below each of these feet is a bar 11 having a. plurality of openings 12 any one orfmore of which is designed to receive a fastening bolt 15 extending downwardA through the foot and bar. A stub shaft 14 extends inwardly from leach bar 11 and a wheel 15 rotates thereon. An ear 16 extends forward from each bar 11 close to the stub 14 and has a rod 17 secured to it. ward and forward and is designed to engage any one of a series of openings formed in the front strip 2. By detaching the bars 11 from the feet 10 the same can be resecuredA in any desired position so as to hold the wheels a predetermined distance a art. It

Patented Augny., 1908.'

a tongue 4 having braces This rod extends upwill of course be necessary to .rear just the l rods 17 within the openings 1S so that they will extend straight forward from the eals 16 and relieve the bolts 13 from any transverse pressure caused by the forward move- -ment of the machine.

Journaled within'the rear portions of the.- sides 1 near the bottoms thereof are super- Y posed shafts 19 and 20, the lower shaft being provided vwith a central arch 21 while the upper shaft 2O also has a central arch 22 which 1s larger than t-he arch 21 so that said lower arch is free to move within the upper arch. Cultivator shovels 24 are secured to the end portions of the upper shaft 2O while disks 25 are preferably connected to the end portions of the lower shaft. Each arch has an ear-26 extending laterally from the upper portion thereof and slidably mounted within each ofv these ears is a rod 27 having means such as nuts 2S for preventing the rods from bcing withdrawn from the ears. A spring '29 is coiled about each rod and bears at one end against one of the ears 26 while its other' end contacts with a collar 30 or other suit able device upon the rod. It is therefore apparent that when the rod is pulled inone direction motion is transmitted directly therefrom through the nut 2S to the ear 26 but when itis pushed in the opposite direction power is transmitted 'through the spring 29 to the ear 26.

Secured upon one side ofthe frame of the machine and extending upward therefrom is a fixed rack 31 u pon op )osite faces of whichare pivotally mounted levers 32 and 33, both levers being preferably fulcrumed upon a single pin 3-1 extending t-hrough the rack. The lever 32 has a second rack 35 secured theretoand movable V'therewith while lever 33 carries a dog 36 designed to engage both of Ithe racks 32 and 35. Two

rods 27 are connected to the levers 32 and 33 respectivelyl The foregoing description applies equally to the two sections A and B. These seetions are movably connected by a sea-tboard 37 which extends between the sets of superposed rollers 6 and'unde-r the straps 7 as shown in Fig. 1. Longitudinal slot-s 38 are formed w/ithin the end portions of the board 37 and fthe `guide pins 8 extend through these slots and serve to limit the independent lateral'movement of thev sections A and B.

'A drivers seat 39' of the usual or any )referred forni is. mounted upon the mi( dle portion of-board 37. I

It is designed. to harness two dra-ft animals 4to each tongue 4 and the sections A and B may, if arranged close enough together, work two adjoining rows of corn, although it will be preferable to leave one row between the sections while the two adjoining rows are being cultivated. The movable connections between the sections and the seat board allow a certain amount of inde endent movement of the two sections ant by providing the-rollers 6 this movement is freely permitted. By lifting the dog 36 out of engagement with the fixed rack 31 and the movable rack 35 either of the levers 32 and 33 can be swung backward or forward so as to swing either of the shafts 19 and 20 to raise or lower the cultivators carried thereby. As' the rods 27 are connected to the upper portions ofthe arches 21 and 22 considerable leverage upon the shafts is secured. (lbviouslv as soon as either or both of the shafts has been moved to a desired position they can be locked by releasing the dog so that it will rengage the two racks.

B v arranging the racks and dog in the manner described and shown the mechanism necessary for separately or simultaneously actuating the shafts and for locking them in an;v positions to which they may be moved is greatlv simplified.

Important-eis attached to the provision of the arches 21 and 22 because by using them v the machine poesses every advantage of both a low and a high cultivator. It is possible to use the machine during all stages of the cultivation of corn and therefore the necessity of employing Aa. second or high cultivator is dis ensed with. j

By locating t te springs 29 as shown the disks or shovels are free to swing upward should they strike immovable objects, said springs serving to promptly return the parts to their initial positions.

IVhat is claimed is:

1. A'cultivator of the character described comprising a frame, supporting wheels adjustably connected-thereto, superposed arched shafts carried by the frame, sep arate cultivatingdevices carried by the shafts, and means for independently actuating the shafts.

L. A cultivator of the character described comprising a frame, .sup orting wheels therefor, superposed arched s rafts j ournaled within the frame, separate cultivating devices carried by the shafts, separate means for actuating the shafts, and mechanism common to said means for locking them in adjusted position.

3. A cultivator of the character described comprising a frame, sup orting wheels therefor, superposed arched sliafts ournaled within the frame, the arch of one of the shafts being movable within the arch of the other shaft, separate means connected to each arch for independently swinging the arches, mechanism 'common to both of said means for locking the arches in adjusted position, and separate cultivating devices carried by and movable with the shafts.

1. A eultivator of the character described comprising a'frame, sup orting wheels therefor, superposed arched s rafts journaled within the frame, the arch of one of the shafts being movable within the arch of the other shaft, cushioned means connected to cach arch for independently swinging the arches,

and separate cultivating devices carried by and movable with the shafts.

5. In a cultivator of the character described the combination with superposed arched shafts and separate cultiva-ting devices carried by the shafts; of separate means for actuating said shafts, said means comprising a fixed rack, separately movable levers journaled within each of the racks, a rack movable with one of the levers, and a. pawl carried by the other lever for simultaneously engaging bothracks to lock the levers in fixed relation, and mea-ns for trans-- mitting motion from the levers to the respective shafts.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

' GEORGE lV. SPRAGINS.

ILA L. ADanrs, A. C. FELT'. 

